A Zoni's Tale
by Chronicler Zoni
Summary: Soon after Ratchet and Clank leave the Great Clock, Sigmund accidentally discovers a record of Orvus' memories! Surprises! Familiar faces! Bad jokes! R&CF spoilers. New CH. 5 : "Dark Matters" is the event that led to QFB! INSPIRE ME AND REVIEW!
1. Mnemonic Data

**I do not own Ratchet and Clank, nor any of the other characters, planets, weapons, gadgets, creatures, devices, galaxies, chimps, or any other part of their series within this, and any other part of the Omniverse. I am, however a big fan, have all the games released so far (along with the first issue of their new comic) and am familiar with the incredible universe the guys at Insomniac began in 2002. I hope my stories meet approval and are as close fitting to the series as can be. Enjoy!**

Far off in the Breegus Sector of the Polaris Galaxy, a titanic space station shaped like a floating city was suspended in deep space. Dozens of large golden rings, platforms, and towers glowed with cackling blue energy, slowly rotating to the sound of a ticking clock. Like a system of gears, these glittering wonders seemed placed in a precise order, all parts of a great whole. They circled, like satellites around a shining sun, a saucer shaped structure of the same golden metal floating at the heart of this marvel of science and sorcery.

The Great Clock!

Built by the great Zoni leader Orvus, soon after the unfortunate incident with the Fongoids and their unintentional time rift, the Clock was located in the exact center of the universe.

Give or take fifty feet…

Responsible for keeping the space-time continuum stable, this incredible structure possessed technology eons ahead of any other civilization in existence. Even the multi-brained sages of Terachnos stubbornly admitted they had nothing even close to what Zoni engineering was capable of.

Thanks to the efforts of Orvus's own son, XJ-0461, or Clank as he was known everywhere else in the cosmos, and his Lombax friend, the galactic hero Ratchet, the Clock was just repaired hours ago after suffering terrible damage. Due to the duo's bravery, the Timekeeper for the entire Universe had been saved from total system failure caused by the scheming of the villain Dr. Nefarious and, in a terrible twist of fate, the obsession of the Lombax's mentor, General Alister Azimuth.

A very close call indeed.

Above the glass dome that roofed the Orvus Chamber, the central control room for the entire Clock, a small group of Zoni hovered in space, glowing as bright as stars. The Time Cleaners had long since erased any time rifts opened by the Lombaxes' battle and all equipment was functioning at 100% capacity, so they could spare a few minutes to relax. They watched with amusement at the scene below them, their hive minds buzzing with activity.

Sigmund, the newly appointed Senior Caretaker of the Great Clock, was twirling around the Orvus Chamber with glee. A red and white robot with goofy yellow eyes, he had no legs but instead flew around with the aid of a hovercraft attachment. Sigmund used to be Junior Caretaker until Clank decided only hours ago to promote him, so to leave with Ratchet. In his hands he held a golden scepter, glowing bright with quantum energy as glittering rings, much similar in shape to the ones outside, rotated in midair around its top end.

"YYYYYIIIIIPPPPEEEEEEEE!" Sigmund cried with joy as he sped through the air, narrowly avoiding the large holo-screens that hung from the walls.

"I'm Senior Caretaker! I can't believe I'M Senior Caretaker! WHOOPIE!"

He spun around in the air, than turned down the power on his anti-gravity so he was back down on ground level.

A yellow and gold robotic eye came out of a circular compartment in the floor and seemed to glare at him.

"**If you keep playing around with the Chronoscepter, you are going to break something important."** A feminine voice stated dryly from unseen speakers around the Orvus Chamber.

With PK-17 sisterboards in a vector shell of raritanium, the Central Computer for the Great Clock was a work of pure genius. The only other machine that matched it in power and intelligence was the IRIS Supercomputer itself.

YET, it had to watch as this little cleaner bot swung one of the oldest artifacts in the Omniverse around as if it were a child's plaything.

Sigmund turned around towards the robotic eye and scowled back at it. "You be quiet, evil Computer!" Sigmund snapped in his high-pitched voice. "This is one of the happiest moments of my life and your not going to ruin it for me!"

Sigmund looked down at the Chronoscepter in his three-fingered robotic hands.

"I haven't been this excited since XJ-0461, I mean 'Clank,' first got here! Or when Orvus hired me! Or when that new Kid Nova cartoon got on the holo-vid!"

"**Then your life must be quite dull."**

"I'll fix you, you nasty, sarcastic, piece of…" Sigmund growled as he angrily swung the Chronoscepter at the Great Clock's Computer's eye. The eye quickly ducked back into its compartment, causing Sigmund to instead hit a computer counsel behind it.

CRACK!

The Chronoscepter's quantum charged blow went through the paneling like a sick Agorian through tissue paper. Broken glass flew out of the screen. Orange and yellow buttons from the keyboard fell out of their sockets. When all the shards stopped falling, Sigmund looked with shock at what he had just done.

"_Oh no!" _Sigmund thought with panic. "_Ratchet and the Zoni just fixed those after the fight with that Azimuth guy! Oh, what am I going to do? I was still damaged when they were working on repairs in here!"_

The Computer's eye came back out of its compartment, unscathed. It turned with a whirl to survey the damage, then turned back to look at Sigmund.

"**Well, I told you so. If you are done pouting, will you please repair that?"**

Sigmund looked down at the eye, his face filled with uncertainty. "How?"

If the Computer had real eyes, it would have rolled them in exasperation. Instead its robotic one looked pointedly at the Chronoscepter, now held limply in the Caretaker's right hand. Sigmund followed its line of sight and smacked himself in the head in realization.

"Of course! What was I thinking?"

"**I do not want to know."** The Computer replied nastily.

Sigmund ignored it that time and swung the Chronoscepter at the broken console again. As one of its rings touched the crushed machine, a chime filled the air. Ribbons of blue quantum energy flew from within the rings and enveloped the keyboard and screen. Time itself reversed around the shards of the broken equipment, causing them to fly back in place from where they fell. The cracks on the computer screen disappeared with a flash and the metal plating returned to its pristine condition. As the ribbons of energy dissipated into nothingness the computer console was as good as new, once again a gleaming piece of advanced Zoni technology.

Sigmund admired his work, than noticed something was different about the computer. Instead of the data that was on it before, a lone digital file was now visible on the glowing blue screen, ready to be opened.

"What's that?" Sigmund asked himself, an old habit he had from years of having only the Computer and Zoni to talk to.

The robotic eye extended itself from its compartment as far as its mechanized stem would allow until its round shape blocked the holo-screen**. **

"**That is for Senior personnel only! Please move away from the console and I will return it to storage."** The Computer firmly stated.

"I AM Senior personnel Computer! Now let me see it!"

"**Let me think…..NO!"**

The screen went black. Sigmund pushed the eye aside and tried tapping some buttons on the keyboard to bring it back up. The Computer had shut that off as well. Sigmund gave up after a few seconds and glared at the robotic eye, looking what he thought was smug.

"Fine you meanie! I'll bring it up with my own console. Ya didn't turn it off fast enough for me not to see the file's code number!"

Sigmund grabbed the small green holo-pad attached to a grey hoop around his metal torso (along with a wrench and a potted plant) and moved it in front of himself so he could reach the keys. He hacked his way past the Computer's firewalls and typed the file's code to locate it in the mainframe. Sigmund looked up and watched triumphantly as the file appeared on all of the holo-screens in the Chamber.

The Computer of the Great Clock sighed in defeat. **"Accessing private archives…..Opening Caretaker mnemonic data…" **

In the center of the Orvus Chamber, a hologram shot out of the ornate, golden lever that allowed master control over the flow of time. The light took the form of a small figure, dressed in a silver metal suit, with a black, hood-shaped, metal helmet. The large head beneath the helmet was a purplish pink, with great big eyes as blue as the Clock's energy. A kind smile was on its wide face.

"SIR!" Sigmund exclaimed in surprise, recognizing his missing boss and friend, Orvus. It had been only a few short years since Orvus had vanished when he left for Planet Zanifar. Sigmund now knew from Ratchet and Clank that Dr. Nefarious had captured him, but somehow the Zoni leader was able to escape, leaving no clue as to where he went.

"_Good day to the Caretaker who finds this message. If I have not already reloaded this information into my databanks, it would only be because I did not return from my last errand outside the Clock." _

At this the hologram's face became a little sad, though it still gently smiled.

"_Do not fear for me. I have lived a long life and have met many wondrous beings throughout this and many other dimensions. Just to make sure that any valuable information I possess does not fall into malicious hands, I have downloaded all of my memories of my time here in this Universe into this single file."_

"His memories?" Sigmund repeated curiously. He wondered if Clank had known that Orvus had left another message besides the one they both watched when they first entered the Chamber.

"_As this file shows, I have selected significant events from my life I hope you will find enlightening. I will try to, as the kids say, 'lay it down for you' the best I can."_

The hologram of Orvus gave his signature laugh, so similar to his son's.

"_Now, let's see,"_ The hologram continued thoughtfully. Sigmund looked up as the holo-screens depicted the Zoni's memories visually.

"_It all began on Torren IV when we first made contact with the Fongoids…."_


	2. The Gift

**As I mentioned in the first chapter, I do not own Ratchet and Clank, Insomniac Games does, though I am a big fan of the series. Here in this chapter we learn how Orvus first met the Fongoids and the special gift he and the other Zoni gave them. Enjoy and review please!**

Orvus gazed upon the vast wasteland that stretched out for miles before him known as the Molonoth Fields. Howling winds blew dust devils across the dry desert landscape, clouding even HIS vision from any details below the weathered mesa he floated upon. The intense heat from Torren IV's sun beat down on the planet's surface, allowing only the hardiest of the sparse vegetation to survive.

It was at times like this Orvus was glad Zoni were neither organic nor robotic.

"_To think that those poor Fongoids have been able to last so long on in these miserable conditions_," The Zoni leader thought as he turned around from the edge and continued on his mission.

As he flew, he looked down to an object that rested in his small hands.

It was a hefty cylinder container, made of a near indestructible alloy that could only be found in the Zoni Dimension. The top and bottom halves were as purple as Orvus, while a white horizontal stripe wrapped around between them. Bright blue light streamed from wide crystal windows fitted in the sides of the container. If one were to look closely, they would see that the source of the illumination was a swarm of energy ribbons, flying all around the interior like fireflies in a jar.

"_Oh, how enriched their lives will be after they receive our gift!"_ Orvus thought as he chuckled with excitement. "_They certainly seem worthy of it."_

For a while now the Zoni had been using their collective bio-energy to secretly view potential species to bestow their gift upon, particularly ones in the Polaris galaxy since it was so close to this Universe's center.

The Terachnoids were quite smart, but much too petty and selfish.

The Lombaxes had plenty of potential, but were a little too…. adventurous.

The Kerchu or the Cragmites perhaps?

Orvus shuddered.

Not in this reality!

No, the Fongoids were the perfect choice. From what the Zoni had learned, they had already proven themselves to be competent engineers, a valuable skill if they were to be chosen. They also were a simple, gentle race. They were much too kind-hearted to abuse the gift for evil, and much too meek to want to use it for mere amusement.

They could be trusted to not abuse it.

Orvus levitated up a series of nearby ledges covered in dry yellow grass and large red cacti. From the top he had a closer view of the towering mountain that loomed over the area. In the face of a low nearby cliff, he could see the wide opening that led to the caverns the Zoni's observations had discovered was the Fongoids' major place of gathering.

A natural citadel if you would.

A meager wooden gate covered the entrance, the best defense the Fongoids could build due to their lack of technology. Despite this, it still looked like it was a rather clever design. Thick stone slabs had been raised on either side of the gate as a kind of frame, their once rough sides long smoothed so they could not be climbed by predators. The logs that made up the gate had been sharpened and firmly planted in the ground so it could not be knocked over easily. Carved narrow windows allowed any defending the gate to easily attack their opponents with spears or small projectiles. To only way the gate could be raised was a pulley system that was built high up in the cave's ceiling, its grass woven rope far out of reach for any except those who were on the inside of the barricade.

This small obstacle did not stop Orvus. He merely teleported himself through space, his body transmuting back into pure energy, and, in a bright flash of light, reformed his physical self in what would eons later be called "The Hollow."

He was greeted by shrill screams.

"AAHHH! A GHOST!"

"NO! IT'S A DEMON! SEE THOSE GLOWING SCALES ON ITS BODY!"

"YOURE BOTH WRONG! IT'S A DEATH WEASEL! DON'T LOOK IN IT'S EYES OR IT'LL TURN YA TO STONE!"

A huge crowd of terrified Fongoids stood around Orvus, trembling yet transfixed at the sight of this strange outsider that suddenly appeared out of thin air.

"_Death weasel?_ _Oh my. They really do need our help more then I thought." _Orvus judged as he looked around him at the superstitious natives.

Each Fongoid wore either a poncho or tunic, all once dyed in reds and purples but long faded from the harsh sunlight outside. They lacked any form of decoration or jewelry, although many adults had spiraling tribal tattoos on their violet skin. Some had also pierced the antennae on their onyx-black horned heads with twigs or carved sandstone rings. All had been interrupted in their everyday tasks before Orvus' unexpected entrance.

A potter had been at his turning wheel, shaping a clay bowl to replace another some kids playing tag had knocked over. It now was a sludgy mess on his hands and face as he looked, his yellow eyes practically bulging out of his head, at the Zoni.

A mother was walking her children back home to the large canyon that lay on the other end of the cave, in no possible way able to know it would one day in the far future be only the home of an exiled Lombax. The spiky red cacti she had just bought and was planning to skin and cook for dinner now lay forgotten at her feet as she froze in place in fear. Below her, her children were too busy wondering why their mom decided to drop a cactus on them before they too saw the strange floating creature and gaped with amazement.

A guard was just telling his fellow warriors how he bravely fought off a vicious Torrenian Scarab, a desert dwelling cousin of the Cerulian Centipede, when he saw the new intruder that had appeared in a flash of light and wielded a shiny pot of some sort. His friends had to drag him away with them to the chief's tent after he gave a girlish shriek and fainted.

"Dreadfully sorry to have startled you all," Orvus announced to the crowd sheepishly. "Please don't be alarmed. I do not mean any harm to you. My name is Orvus. To put your fears at rest, I am not an apparition, a fiend, or a…death weasel was it?"

Orvus could not help but chortle slightly when he finished that sentence.

"I am actually the leader of a far off race known as the Zoni. The reason I am here is that out of thousands of peoples across the Universe, you have been chosen by us to receive a very special gift."

At this Orvus raised the shinning vessel in his hands so that all the Fongoids could see it. They quickly stumbled away from him a few more feet, acting as if the container were a nuclear device rather then a present.

Orvus lowered the vessel, his brow furrowed in contemplation. "_This is worst then I feared. They have lived so long in isolation, fighting just to survive, that they are terrified of anything alien to them. Then again, I technically am an alien in this dimension."_

Orvus then tried another approach.

"Is there anyone in charge here that I can speak with?"

A rather tall Fongoid male dressed in a worn scarlet mantle and holding a black staff slowly walked out of the crowd towards Orvus, ready to meet with the Zoni but really wishing he did not have to.

"I am Volgram, High Chief of the Fongoids," the Fongoid shakily answered. "I'm sorry to say we cannot accept you gift." Volgram looked at the vessel. "No matter how pretty it is."

"But you don't understand! This gift will revolutionize the way your people live beyond imagining! It is…"

Volgram interrupted by raising his walking stick in front of his face defensively. "Please, just go! We don't want whatever it is you offer us! We don't know what a Zoni is or even if you are really a friend!"

"But…"

"I cannot put my people at risk. I am sorry, but we do not want you here."

With those words, the Fongoid Chief turned around and ran back to the crowd. A group of guards, including the one who had fainted not long ago, quickly formed a line between the Fongoids and Orvus, crude spears held in their hands in case the outsider got angry.

Orvus merely sighed sorrowfully. "Very well, if that is your choice, etiquette dictates I except it.…..Good bye….."

The Zoni disappeared before the Fongoids' eyes, taking the vessel with him.

Outside, on one of the many rock formations in the Molonoth Fields, a saddened Orvus reappeared. He gently set the purple and white container on a flat rock and sat down next to it, resting elbows on his knees and his helmeted head in his hands.

"_This was a terrible idea. It is obvious they are just not ready for such new and advanced sights. Why did I not wait a few more thousand years? At least by then they might have been used to off world visitors."_

Orvus already knew the answer to his own question. All Zoni, since they were practically a part of time-space, were able to peer through the ages: to see across the infinite timelines that ran through the Omniverse. He himself did not use the ability that often, unless it was for good reason, for it required much energy.

He also found that life was much more fun with a little mystery.

However, soon after he chose the Fongoids to receive the gift, he had a…well not really a premonition…. more of a feeling really, a hunch that the Fongoids NEEDED to meet the Zoni so soon. That they NEEDED the gift! Orvus did not know for what reason, but he was sure it would reveal itself in good time.

If only the Fongoids could trust him….

A screeching sound, like metal being scrapped, rose from below the rocky pillar Orvus sat upon. He peered over the edge with curiosity and was horrified at what he saw.

Vast numbers of huge beetle-like insects were running across the desert dunes snapping at any one of their own that got in their way. They were about the size as Orvus himself or even a Fongoid child. Each had thick pus-yellow shells and large blood-red pincers.

"_Maybe they're not so bad." _Orvus tried to reassure himself. _"They don't seem as if they can do much harm."_

He changed his mind when he saw a group of the insects tear a boulder to pieces with great ferocity.

Orvus flew up from where he sat, grabbed the vessel, and, as quickly as he could, focused his bio-energy to take him back to the Fongoids' cavern.

Again, he was annoyed to find, he was greeted by shrieks.

"HE"S BACK!"

"EVERYONE RUN! SERPENTINE! SERPENTINE!"

"I'M NOT HERE TO HARM YOU! I AM HERE TO SAVE YOUR LIVES!" Orvus yelled out with as much strength as he could muster. He wasn't used to raising his voice and found it quite unpleasant. He flew high up until he reached the very roof of the cavern. Then, using his powers, he projected a mental image of the beetle army he had just seen outside. The Fongoids stopped running and stared at the psychic image with terror even greater then that they reserved for Orvus.

The Torrenian Scarabs!

"A great many of these beasts are heading towards here as we speak! If they are allowed to reach this mountain, I fear the worst for you all." Orvus spotted Chief Volgram among the crowd and flew down to him.

"Please, I implore you! Trust me to save your people!"

Volgram looked into the Zoni's eyes, uncertain what to say.

"You told me you would not put your people at risk. Well," Orvus looked up at the image, now showing the insects about to reach the gate to the caverns. "This seems to be a rather large one. You cannot stop them yourselves."

The Fongoid Chief sighed. He knew what he had to do.

"Whatever you have planned...Orvus isn't it?"

The Zoni quickly nodded.

"Then do it."

Orvus took the vessel and opened it, finally releasing its cargo. Thousands of Zoni that he had brought with him from his home dimension shot out of the container in a eruption of light. They stopped in midair for a moment to look around curiously at the awed Fongoids as their energy converted into the metallic bodies they took outside the conditions of their own universe.

"Lads!" Orvus called out to his hive.

The Zoni heard their leader's summons and turned to him, their large blue eyes wide and alert.

"_Yes, Sire?" _They replied in one ethereal voice.

"I'm afraid we have a bit of a dilemma. A great threat has surfaced and could put the Chosen in peril before they even begin to use the gift! We need to act quickly!"

Orvus raised his hands up in the air and focused his power, reaching out through the endless realms of reality until he located the Zoni Dimension. From there he summoned a golden scepter, his most valuable tool that he had left home for safekeeping. He had thought he would not need it, but the current situation demanded such.

With his Chronoscepter in hand, Orvus flew with great speed out of the caverns, his legions of Zoni swarming after him in the air, buzzing with near infinite power.

The Torrenian Scarabs had just reached the gate and were chewing through the wood, spraying dust and splinters everywhere with their ferocious hunger. A few Fongoid guards had been futilely trying to drive them off with slingshots and throwing spears.

They just kept on coming!

Seeing Orvus and the army of Zoni flying out of the cave entrance, the guards gave up fighting and ran inside for shelter.

"Alright, here's something I just thought up: what did the Zoni say to the Torrenian Scarabs when they were playing baseball?" Orvus asked his race as they approached the beastly hordes.

They looked at him blankly.

"Strike! You're OUT!" Orvus swung his Chrnoscepter at the fist line of Scarabs, beating them away from the gate as they squealed with pain.

With that one bad joke, every Zoni fired blasts of pulsing energy at the Torrenian Scarabs. The yellow insects screamed in rage and tried to attack the glowing beings, but kept on being pushed back by their forceful blows. Whenever one got close to catching a Zoni in its terrible pincers, either Orvus would knock it away or another Zoni would zap in where it stood. After about an hour of this, the entire Scarab swarm was surrounded by circle of Zoni.

"Now time for the grand finale!" Orvus called out as he raised his Chronoscepter, its golden rings spinning at incredible speeds and letting loose sparks of ocean blue.

Reaching into the energy, Orvus took out a glowing orb and tossed it at the Torrenian Scarabs. A ticking began sounding out as a blue bubble of quantum energy surrounded the creatures. While the Time Bomb, one of the best tricks in the Chronoscepter's arsenal, froze the insects in place, the Zoni raised their little hands in the air, auras of power surrounding each one. In the orange sky above them, a large shimmering portal was summoned out of thin air, opening into the vast emptiness of deep space.

A ringing sound filled the air as the Time Bomb wore off, but it was to late for the Scarab army. The powerful vacuum the portal created pulled each and every one of them to it. Their horrible screams echoed across the landscape until the last one flew into the rift.

On Ovus' signal, the Zoni lowered their arms, closing the portal with a blinding flash.

Then there was silence.

For a few minutes at least.

"THEY DID IT! THE ZONI DID IT!"

"THEY SAVED US!"

"PRAISE THE ZONI!"

"PRAISE ORVUS!"

"PRAISE ORVUS! PRAISE ORVUS! PRAISE ORVUS!"

Orvus and the Zoni turned around. All of the Fongoid tribes, including Chief Volgram, had come out and had witnessed the banishment of their ancient foes. And by none other then the very person they had been so afraid of earlier! They raised their hands in the air in celebration, dancing around and cheering with relief.

"_Goodness," _Orvus thought to himself in surprise. "_If they keep cheering like that, I just might get a big head." _

Orvus chuckled.

"_Well, a bigger one."_

He looked to the Zoni behind him and smiled. "Come along now everyone. We have much work to do."

After all, it wasn't every day you taught time travel to another civilization.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next time we look at Orvus' memories, a great tragedy occurs that he must fix in "A Heart Transplant." Please review!**


	3. A Heart Transplant

**Sorry this took me a while. I have been pretty busy lately. This chapter takes places 3,000 years after "The Gift." As I said, I don't own Ratchet and Clank. The parts of the Great Clock I mention are in ACIT if you look and listen hard enough. Enjoy and review!**

Emptiness…..

Dark, overwhelming oblivion…

This was all that Orvus could see for light years around him.

Only what seemed like seconds ago, though they really were months, this vast expanse was once filled by almost a hundred worlds. So much promise, so many lives, they were now gone in a cataclysm of merciless flame and unforgiving light.

And he was to blame.

Well, him and the Fongoids, but they did not know what they were doing at the time.

Breaking his clairvoyant trance, Orvus's mind returned to his body, resting in the Mnemonic Chamber of his newly built Orientation Room. Rotating ornate rings and shimmering blue cybernetics were built into the high ceilinged walls, shining and new. The floor was basically a large railed glass platform, below which a system of gears ran down a seemingly bottomless shaft. A great Crystal-X holo-screen hung in front of him, its transparency revealing a view of numerous golden structures floating in outer space, each being constructed through telekinetic power by hundreds of glowing Zoni.

The glass capsule of the machine flew up as Orvus floated out of it and settled in a red velvet futon, the only piece of furniture in the room. He watched the progress outside, going exactly according to his designs, and sighed sorrowfully.

"I should have taken more precautions." Orvus muttered to himself. "If I had just taught them more about the risks of time travel, rather then just its joys, they would not have tampered with it as much as they did."

He still remembered those long years when the Zoni still were on Torren VI teaching the Fongoids quantum mechanics, the Zoni alphabet, and how to construct devices that bent time and space such as the Obsidian Eyes. He remembered how the Fongoids, after being taught of their Universe and of interstellar travel, sent colonies to tropical planets such as Quantos, Zanifar, and even to far off Morklon. They were quickly becoming the most advanced race in the cosmos.

And that was probably what led to the present state of affairs.

Orvus lifted himself from his seat, once more denying himself much rest, and flew to a doorway behind him. The glass screen doors flew open when the sensors picked up his movement, letting him into the very core of the facility. A titanic expanse larger then any stadium was before him, filled with the busy activity of Zoni inspecting machinery at a collection of platforms scattered around the area. Every platform was floating dozens of stories high in midair, covered in the curved and dotted glyphs of the Zoni language. Small pedestals in the center of every platform projected images of different worlds, each a perfect model of what they represented, right down to the present weather conditions. These were not mere three-dimensional maps, though. They were in fact specially linked through Zoni technology to the very life forces of what they mimicked, changing as they did in every way.

They would make the long task ahead much more simple.

Orvus passed by many planet models, stopping once in a while to check the readings on a few or to converse with some of the Zoni on their progress. When he approached a model of Torren VI, however, he increased his speed, trying not to look at it and bring back more unpleasant memories. He stopped when he reached the very center of the Planet Room, before a pillar of energy soaring over him. Within, barely discernable, was a silver metal sphere, surrounded by three turning rings, sending out volts of quantum ribbons into starship sized generators built above and below it.

This device, the Astrolabe, was the main power source for entire station, sending much needed power to every part of the massive machine that contained it. Orvus could feel the hum of generators' turbines running at full speed.

"_Everything seems just about perfect. The harmonic stabilizers are functioning properly, the planet models are perfectly synced to their natural counterparts, and the generators are producing the proper amount of quantum energy. Almost time for the test sequence._

Orvus, satisfied that things were fine in this section of his creation, teleported himself to another, slightly smaller room high above the Astrolabe. A large dome of green glass and golden arches above him showed a view of star clusters glittering against the dark purple canvas of deep space. Massive gates stood at the each of the cardinal compass points, shut tight to allow privacy. Though the other Zoni could also have easily teleported inside as well, they only would if Orvus allowed it.

After all, it was called the Orvus Chamber, not the Every Sentient in the Cosmos Chamber.

"Computer, run a system's check of the entire Timekeeper. I want to be absolutely sure EVERYTHING is ready when we begin to test the time flow command."

Mechanical eyes of varying sizes came out of compartments in the floor and looked at Orvus, as quick as thought sending his image to their optical drive.

"**The Zoni have just finished construction on the quantum stabilizers. All stations are operating at 100% capacity and are fully charged. The Time Cleaners are finished being programmed and are standing by in case of any temporal anomalies." **The sophisticated female voice of the Computer stated to its creator.

Orvus looked at the gleaming optical sensors and grimly nodded with approval. It had been one of his better ideas to program the Central Computer to be so efficient, making it capable of digitally accessing every part of the Clock. Without its omnipresence, Orvus could not imagine of how he would be able to keep the space station in check.

"Splendid. Now we can begin."

The elderly Zoni floated to one of the computer terminals that encircled the Chamber's glass and metal platform. Typing in a secret combination known only to himself, Orvus turned from the console and watched as a large gleaming shell rose from the center of the room. It opened wide down the middle, like the lids of an eye, releasing a hissing cloud of steam as it did. When the steam cleared, a golden lever was revealed. A gear shaped ring covered in flashing lights encircled the handle, making it look incredibly similar in shape and form to Orvus' Chronoscepter. Behind it, a series of notches, like on a ruler, were kept behind an arched panel of blue crystal, a small arrow on it reflecting the angle of the lever. Orvus approached the switch and appraised his craftsmanship for a moment.

"Like time, this device is beautiful, fragile, and in the wrong hands, unspeakably dangerous."

Orvus raised a hand, generating a field of energy around it. When he allowed the azure light to fade, a simple brown clay pot was in his hand, transmuted from loose particles he had mentally gathered from the air. Orvus then threw the pot in the air, watching as it slowed in ascension and, under the pull of artificial gravity, plummeted to the floor.

CRASH!

The pot shattered as it made contact with the hard, cold floor, its shards sliding off in multiple directions.

Orvus looked down briefly at the mess and merely turned away from it back to the control switch. He grabbed the handle of the gilt lever and, with a deep breath, pulled it to the left. The arrow behind it shifted as well, pointing to the far left of the row of dashes. A blue haze suddenly seemed to cover all of reality like a dense mist. Orvus could feel himself being pulled backwards in time, repeating his actions from the last few seconds. He could sense the minds of the thousands of Zoni throughout the Timekeeper, also aware of the vast temporal manipulation. Orvus quickly stopped the test, finding himself in front of the master control lever before he had pulled it. In his hands was the clay pot, again undamaged and whole, as if it never was broken.

"**Is it as successful as you hoped?" **The Computer inquired. It also had felt time being rewound around it, due to the temporal immunity Orvus had designed it with which allowed it to be aware of being effected by such phenomena.

"Yes, thankfully," Orvus sighed with relief. His wide purple face then became deadly serious. "But this is only to be used as a last resort. The Clock is not built to be a time machine. It is only designed to keep time in this Universe stable! Nothing more and nothing less."

"**Then we will just have to pray nothing occurs that would force it to be activated."**

Orvus chuckled for the first time in a long while. "If only it could be that simple. Unfortunately, as long as the Clock exists, there are bound to be those who would foolishly seek to abuse its power. As we have already seen with the Fongoids, the ability to go back in time can be a nearly irresistible temptation."

Orvus became silent, suddenly aware of what he had just said. The Fongoids, after only a few short thousand years, had became so obsessed with time travel that they caused near countless paradoxes to occur. Some had prevented events in the present from ever occurring, while others had allowed themselves to be in the same time as numerous past and future counterparts. He had even heard of an occasion when one Fongoid accidently ended up becoming his own great grandfather!

Very unpleasant business.

The numerous journeys through time ended up wearing the fabric of time-space so thin as to rip asunder, releasing a destructive wave of energy that caused eighty- three planets to implode upon themselves! Of course, after this occurred, steps had to be taken to close the rift.

This is where the Timekeeper came in.

Orvus had spend months designing it, taking back the technology he had given the Fongoids, and useing it to quickly construct a makeshift version of his contingency plan for this Universe.

Orvus did not like to admit that he was so rushed to fix the time rift that he had placed the clock a bit off from the center of the Universe, where he had hoped it could have been built to allow easier access to the surrounding galaxies. Instead he was only able to get it no more then close to fifty feet from the preferred destination.

Despite this mistake, the gap was sealed, but the threat still remained that existence would collapse on itself if the Clock could not survive. With the aid of the Zoni, Orvus had teleported all of the necessary materials from the Zoni Dimension, where such elusive and valuable resources like raritanium were as common as dust. Now that the Clock had been built into a more durable form, all that was left was to make sure it would continue functioning, forever.

Not really the way Orvus had pictured spending his lifetime, but it had to be done.

He was just about to run another system diagnostic when he noticed something out of place in the Chamber. A small seedling of a purple leafed plant was growing under a pipe that ran up the side of one of the computer terminals, the only other living thing besides Orvus within the control room.

"Now how did this get in here?" Orvus asked out loud as he looked closer at the flora. He was quite used to the trees and moss that grew on the Clock's many stations, all stowaways from the planets the Fongoids had built originally the machinery on. However, he could not imagine how this fern had managed to escape detection. The Computer always made sure that out of all of the stations in the Clock, the Orvus Chamber would be the most sterile and secure.

"**I am sorry. I did not detect that. Would you like me to call in some Zoni to atomize it?**

"No, no, that will not be necessary!" Orvus quickly told the Computer. He removed the fern and placed it carefully into the pot he was holding, making sure to teleport a clump of moist dirt to plant it in. "There now. Doesn't that feel better, little one?" he asked in a kind tone, as if the little fern could speak back.

"**Sir, if you do not mind me saying so, you seem much less melancholy now then you have these past few months." **The Computer commented. It had been worried for Orvus for he had seemed like he was working himself to death, if that was even possible for a Zoni. It knew it was all because of the overwhelming guilt he felt for his part in the time rift cataclysm.

"Perhaps." Orvus grew deep in thought for a moment, then placed the potted fern on the flat surface of the terminal he had taken it from. "Computer, since the Fongoids left Torren IV, which planet holds their largest population as of late?"

"**That would be Planet Quantos," **the Central Computer answered. **"Especially in the Zolar Forest, where they built their capital complex."**

"Very well then." Orvus grabbed his Chronoscepter, leaning against another console in the Chamber. "I will be out for a few hours. Watch the Clock while I am gone, will you?"

"**Of course sir." **The Computer promised. It now had an idea as to what Orvus was planning to do.

"Ta ta."

An aura of energy surrounded Orvus as he teleported. When he reappeared, he was on the lush tropical planet of Quantos. Flowering plants of multiple colors grew all around him. Flocks of parrot-like birds with orange and purple plumage flew through clear blue skies. Built into the vast Zolar Forest by its Fongoid inhabitants were magnificent arches, towers, palaces, and pyramids, all made of blue and greenish brown stone. Orvus concentrated for a moment and made himself invisible, so to prevent anyone from spotting him as he went through the jungle. After a while, he finally made it to a large city, encircled by a thick stone wall. Flat roofed watchtowers peered over the fortifications, which Orvus could not help but notice, were carved to resemble Zoni.

Zoni wearing eerily familiar pointed hats…..

"_That is…. flattering." _Orvus thought. He knew the Fongoids admired the Zoni to the point of worship, but he was not sure how much until now. He flew over the walls and looked down at the villagers within.

They seemed to have adapted well to losing their technology. Though they were living in a similar nature to when he first met them, they had the luxury of being on a fertile and less hostile world, with the cities their ancestors built ready to shelter them. Farmers were at work tilling new fields for harvesting. Craftsmen were carving simple yet sturdy furniture and tools to replace the ones they lost.

All worked with a depressed kind of silence.

Orvus scanned the settlement until he noticed a group of Fongoid guards patrolling the stairwells and ramparts around one of the tallest towers in the city. He floated down to a circular gateway at the base of the tower and phased through a heavy metal door inscribed with Zoni glyphs. He then found himself in an armory, filled with the orange and blue tridents and spears that the Fongoids' warriors commonly used. Orvus stopped for a moment to admire them, noting the faint glow that came off the crystal the blades were made from.

"Fascinating." Orvus said to himself. This was obviously an example of how developed the Fongoids' bio-energy had become from their time with the Zoni, to the point of being able to infuse their weapons with it.

"WHO'S THERE!"

Orvus looked behind him and saw a Fongoid male, looking wildly left and right to find the source of the voice he had just heard. The Fongoid was slightly husky and wore a deep purple wrap with a large silver collar set with glowing blue stones. A wreath of orange feathers was on his head that, Orvus noticed, had horns that seemed to glow with the same light as the crystals. It was clear to Orvus that this was the current chief of the village.

Orvus made himself visible for the Fongoid's sake. "Salutations."

The Fongoid jumped with surprise. "By Orvus! You're…you're Orvus!" The Fongoid went down on his short knees and bowed before the Zoni.

"Um, I'm am delighted that you are so welcoming, but please my dear Fongoid, could you possibly stand up? I am not here for a pleasure visit, I am afraid."

The chief stumbled a little bit as he got back up. "Forgive me Great One. I was just not expecting you to come here to Quantos. Especially after, well…" The Fongoid became silent and looked down with shame.

Orvus at that moment realized something. As much as he felt guilt for the time rift, the Fongoids possibly felt just as terrible. At least he relieved himself of some of the guilt by engineering the Great Clock. Since all the Zoni had been so busy for months on building the station, the Fongoids probably believed that their race had lost their ancient friends along with the technology they had been blessed with.

Orvus went up to the Fongoid and placed a free hand on his shoulder. "You know, a recently heard the most amusing joke. Would you like to hear it?"

The chief looked up at Orvus and slowly nodded, confused but curious.

"Alright, here it goes. What did the bolt say to the electromagnet he was dating?"

The Fongoid shrugged.

"Heh, heh. 'My dear, you are quite ATTRACTIVE!'" Orvus burst into a fit of laughter, soon joined in also by the Fongoid. After they calmed down, Orvus sighed, feeling as if a burden on his shoulders was slightly lifted. "Now, the reason I am here is that I need you to do something for me."

"Of course! Anything you wish Orvus! The chief exclaimed.

"I need you to spread word among your people that, even though we Zoni have left you and have taken back our gift, the Fongoids are not forgotten. To prove this, I have something I wish to entrust all of you with" Orvus held out his Chrnoscepter and waved it over his head, summoning a purple and white canister. He then placed the canister into the Fongoid's hands.

The Fongoid stared at the object for a moment, his shocked brain processing what he was holding. "The sacred Zoni vessel you brought with you to this dimension!" He looked awestruck at Orvus. "You are actually giving this to us?"

"Call it, a token of good will." Orvus said. "Even though we cannot, I am sorry to say, entrust you with time travel, can we entrust you with this?"

"Of course!" The Fongoid promised, grinning with hope. "You'll see Orvus! We won't betray your trust again, I swear! We'll even built a grand temple so to have this in a place of honor!"

"Now, you really don't need to…"

"Oh, we will! It will be large enough to hold the whole village, with all kinds of things built in to protect the vessel!"

"But.."

"There will be a great stone stairway leading up to it! And a solid gold statue of you enthroned inside before it! And right below the temple, a beautiful miniature golf course!"

Orvus did not know what to say, so he just kept quiet.

The chief still went on, ecstatic with joy. "Wait until I tell the villagers! There will be a great celebration held right here! Every Fongoid on Quantos will be invited! We'll have food, stories, musicians," The Fongoid thought for a moment. "We'll first need to make some instruments."

As the Fongoid continued planning festivities, Orvus silently disappeared, returning back to the Clock.

It seemed like things would work out just fine.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next time (you see what I did there?) Orvus will watch as 2 familiar characters visit the ruins on Quantos in "Sightseeing."**


	4. Sightseeing

**I do not own Ratchet and Clank, Insomniac does, though I am a fan. Sorry it took me a while to write this. I've had a lot on my plate, but here it is! This takes place a few centuries after the last chapter, soon after the Great War. Enjoy and review!**

"_Sire!"_

Orvus turned around from the Time Cleaner he was repairing with his Chronoscepter. The large bell shaped droid had been dispatched to eliminate a small temporal rift that had formed in the Deck 6 Particle Accelerator, when it had been attacked by a group of hungry Teratropes.

The nasty vermin, which Orvus could not help but notice, were eerily similar to the Torrenian Scarabs, had been a thorn in his side for quite a while.

The quantum energy that the Time Cleaner ran on had quickly been devoured by the creatures, which then proceeded to rip apart its metal shell and try to get at its core. Thankfully Orvus had been nearby and was able to drive them off before they could damage the machine any further.

"Yes, what is it?" Orvus asked the Zoni that floated behind him. Whatever it had to say seemed greatly urgent, for the Zoni was glowing incredibly bright, a common reflex their kind had to stressful situations. If Orvus did not calm him soon, the poor fellow might accidently teleport back to the safety of the Zoni Dimension.

"_Sire, there is message in Orvus Chamber. Urgent." _The Zoni struggled to tell Orvus. Without other members of the hive to join in mind, its power and intelligence was very limited.

Not to mention their vocabulary.

"_Chamber is only for Sire! Sire must come!"_

Orvus now understood what the Zoni was trying to say. It gladdened him to know that no matter the situation, the Zoni still respected his rules, especially those that involved the Chamber.

"Calm down, my friend, calm down," Orvus told the Zoni soothingly. The Zoni instantly obeyed its leader, its glow fading back to normalcy. "I was just about finished with this Time Cleaner anyway. It really, how do the kids say it again? Oh, yes. It really got 'served.' Orvus chuckled as he tapped the Time Cleaner with his Chronoscepter, reversing time around it until it was as good as new.

The newly repaired droid blinked its beady blue eyes, sensing other temporal anomalies in the Clock. Opening wide its cavernous mouth, it sped off to apprehend them, leaving behind Orvus and the Zoni.

"There. Now, let's see what all the fuss is about."

Orvus followed the Zoni over a series of platforms to one of the giant near impenetrable doors that led into the Orvus Chamber. Orvus approached the door and placed the end of the Chronoscepter into a circular podium before the gates. The podium's surface was a gleaming black and set with a gilded ring on its surface, its sides inscribed with golden Zoni symbols. With the scepter acting as a key, while the ring started spinning, the gate's surface shifted as gears rotated within it. As the door rose up, Orvus flew up to the threshold and turned around to smile at the Zoni.

"See! Nothing to worry about." He assured the worried being.

The Zoni, satisfied that its mission had been fulfilled, flew away to leave its leader to his work. Orvus made sure to push a red button on the other side of the door, shutting the gate tight behind him as went down a short dim corridor into his Chamber.

"Computer, has there been any recent messages from outside the Timekeeper?" He called up to the auditory sensors he had built into the walls of the control room.

"**Yes, sir." **The Great Clock's Central Computer affirmed.** "One of the Zoni stationed on Quantos transmitted a signal proximately one minute and twenty two seconds ago. I attempted to contact you, but you did not reply, so I had to send a Zoni from Sector Three to convey you here." **

Orvus shook his large head. "I apologize. I was fixing a damaged Time Cleaner, and you know how engrossed I become when repairing the Clock." 

The Computer did understand, but that did not stop it from worrying about its creator. Though he had improved emotionally since the Catastrophe, he still worked himself incredibly hard. Not only did he take care of the Timekeeper, but he also constantly kept watch over the remaining planets in the Universe, using Zoni he had sent to each world so as to be kept up to date on events occurring outside the station's shining ringed walls.

Orvus flew up to a computer terminal and activated it. After a few moments, a live picture appeared on the holo-screen, showing the life-filled jungles that Quantos was known for. Brightly colored ferns, trees, bushes, and flowers grew everywhere in sight. Tropical birds called out to each other from the forest canopy. A wide crystal clear waterfall was roaring in the background, forming a flowing river that snacked across the landscape. Looking over all of this natural beauty was a great stone purple and grey pyramid, long ago fallen into ruin. Despite the foliage that covered it, the structure still gave credit to Fongoid craftsmanship, their architects skillfully forming it's top to resemble the wide head of a Zoni, complete with large round aquamarine stones for eyes.

All of this Orvus could see thanks to incredibly high frequency signals the Zoni he had sent out as scouts transmitted back to the Clock. The visual and auditory information they gathered during their invisible observations was processed through the Central Computer's drive, and then broadcasted to the Orvus Chamber for the Zoni leader to experience.

"Nothing really seems out of place," Orvus mused. "Though I still cannot get over how…interesting… Fongoid architecture is."

Suddenly, a short figure burst out of the forest, scaring a number of birds into noisy flight as it did, and ran up to the edge of the river.

"What in blazes is that?" Orvus did not recognize the creature as anything native to Quantos. It certainly wasn't a Fongoid, a Zyphoid, or any other known inhabitant of the planet. Orvus pushed a button on the console and spoke into a small microphone on the side of the holo-screen. "Stay concealed, but get closer to this enigma. I wish to know what we are dealing with."

"_Yes, Sire." _The Zoni on Quantos replied telepathically, picking up its leader's message. It floated closer to the figure, still keeping itself invisible through its bio-energy, until it had a better view.

As the Zoni approached, the image on the holo-screen became clearer until finally Orvus could identify the stranger. The figure, from what Orvus could tell, was a bipedal mammal, around five feet tall, and had a striped yellow tail that ended in a tuft of hair. He wore dark red holo-armor, complete with grey metal shoulder guards attached to his torso by thin bands that ran to a glowing circular device on his chest, emblazoned with an oddly familiar symbol. Over his shoulder he carried a large brown knapsack. The figure turned around from the river, not aware that a Zoni was floating unseen only a foot away from his face.

"A Lombax?" Orvus exclaimed. Yes, he could tell by now that this person was one of the natives of Fastoon. The Lombax was young, probably in his early to mid twenties. The fur on his head was yellow like his tail, with orange stripes running down his large triangular ears. Big emerald green eyes stared intensely from his catlike face into the jungle he just ran out of.

"_Why would a Lombax be on Quantos?" _Orvus wondered. "_I do recall space travel has already been revolutionized by non-Fongoid races, but I did not know the Lombaxes were already capable of departing so far from their own sector of Polaris." _Orvus rubbed his head wearily.

"_I REALLY need to get out more often."_

Orvus watched as the Lombax glared at the dense forest, seeming as if he were waiting for something.

As to what, Orvus could only guess.

Suddenly, another Lombax of similar age hacked his way through a curtain of hanging vines, his weapon of choice what looked to be a large double-ended wrench. He was quite different in appearance from the first. For one thing, he was taller and wore a suit of rust red and solar yellow holo-armor. His fur was white with red stripes, while his eyes were yellow with red irises.

"About time you caught up." The yellow Lombax commented as his companion approached him.

"Well, what do you expect when you drag me to this savage planet!" The taller Lombax snapped with annoyance as he pressed a button on the handle of his weapon, causing the ends of the wrench to retract in length. The white furred Lombax then placed his shortened wrench into a hook on his back. "I don't see why we had to come here anyway."

The yellow haired Lombax rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I already told you Alister. My research back home can only take me so far. I need to be able to study the ruins here first hand."

Alister waved away a few bugs that were swarming around his head. "That still doesn't explain why I had to come. You know I don't like being away from the Citadel for too long."

"Sheesh, that's exactly the reason why! They name a building after you and all you want to do is stay cooped up in it! Whatever happened to your sense of adventure? We used to go off-world all the time when we were kids just to hoverboot on Lumos." The yellow Lombax stretched his arms wide, taking in the scenery. "This is basically the same thing, except, well, greener!"

Alister threw his hands in the air in defeat. "Fine, Kaden, fine. Lets just get you your data already so we can get off this rock. Don't you have a fiancée to get back to anyway?"

"Yea, but she understands this is important to me and my work." Kaden smirked at his best friend. "Besides, YOU shouldn't be talking about fiancées, Mr. Bachelor."

Alister crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Kaden. "I'll marry when I'm good and ready. Right now I have my new duties as a General and Elder Councilman to worry about. A wife is the last thing on my mind as of now."

Kaden shrugged. "Have it your way then. In the meantime we can always find you a girlfriend." He then grinned mischievously. "Maybe an Agorian. That way you two can relate."

Alister growled as he lunged at his friend. Kaden just laughed in response and activated his hoverboots, their fiery jets lifting him off the ground and carrying him away from the irritated Lombax at great speed.

"C'mon Alister! Keep up!" Kaden called behind him as he sped over the river's surface, leaving a trail of glittering spray in his wake, as he headed towards the worn steps of the Fongoid pyramid. Alister activated his own hoverboots and pursued him quickly.

Back at the Great Clock Orvus chortled with delight, entertained by the antics of the two Lombaxes. This was the most humorous thing he had seen happen in quite a while, and that was saying something. He spoke into the microphone again to the Zoni that was watching the friends. "Follow them, would you please? This is quite an amusing display. Also, try to discover more about what this 'data' is they are searching for. It could be significant to us if they can only find it on Quantos."

"_Yes, Sire. I follow." _The Zoni back on Quantos teleported to the top of the pyramid, watching as the two Lombaxes zoomed up the steps towards it.

"Get your tail back here Kaden and take what's coming to you like a man!" Alister called up to his fleeing quarry.

"Yea…I'd rather not." Kaden called back as he sped into the open doorway of the pyramid's rooftop temple.

Alister couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's smart mouth reply. He followed Kaden into the heart of the building, the bright yellow glow of their hoverboots' accelerators lighting up the darkness of the dusty passageways. Just as Alister was about to catch Kaden, the shorter Lombax did a quick turn, using his pack to shift his weight, down a nearby stairwell, going deeper into the pyramid. As Alister approached, he heard a cry echo off the walls from the bottom of the steps.

"Kaden!" Alister yelled, fearful for his friend's safety. He turned off his hoverboots and walked slowly down the stone steps, making sure to take out and light a flare he had in his pocket.

"Down here!" Kaden's voice called out from the shadows. As Alister approached he could see by the flare's green light Kaden hanging by a broken off step over a deep precipice. While one of his hands was keeping him from falling, the other was struggling to hold onto his hefty knapsack.

Alsiter put down his light and grabbed Kaden's hand. He was about to pull the Lombax up, when he stopped and noticed the bag and its weight. "Kaden, you're going to have to let go of that thing if I'm going to be able to help you."

"What! Are you crazy? All of my gear is in here!"

Alister raised an eyebrow. "Alright, so I guess you'll become a big furry pancake then. I wonder how that fiancée of yours will feel about that?"

Kaden frowned unhappily. "Okay, okay." With reluctance, he let go of his pack and watched as it disappeared into the abyss below him.

It didn't even make a sound to show if it hit the ground.

Alister grunted as he pulled Kaden up from the ledge. They both collapsed on the stairs, breathing hard from terror and exhaustion. Alister looked over at Kaden. "Had enough fun yet?" he asked with a smile.

"Ha, ha, Alister. You're a real comedian," Kaden panted. He glared at his hoverboots. "These stupid pieces of junk. They shortened out before I could jump that gap. The freaking ion coils must be rusty."

"Well, if we're done cheating death, can we find those glyphs you're so obsessed about so we can leave?" Alister asked.

"Sure, pal. I'm about ready to get out of here too." Kaden and Alister got to their feet and went back into the passage at the top of the steps. Kaden peered into the darkness, but could barely discern anything around them. "Hey, do you still have that flare?"

Alister looked back down the stairs. "No, I dropped it when I was helping you. It's probably with your pack right now."

"Great," Kaden sighed. "Now how the heck are we supposed to find our way in this place?"

Orvus watched the Lombaxes ponder their next move. He could not help but feel sorry for the explorers, even though they were snooping around a Zoni temple.

"So they both lost their equipment. Hmmm…" Orvus tapped his microphone to alert the Zoni observing the two. "Retrieve the young ones' items and place them near their current location."

"**Are you quite sure that is the appropriate action, sir?" **The Central Computer questioned. **"If these Lombaxes are searching for something involving the Zoni, would it not be best to allow them to be hindered?"**

"I do not think we have much to fear from these two. It seems as if this is more of a quest for curiosity's sake rather then of any dangerous purpose."

"**But if I recall correctly, the last time Lombaxes were curious about something, they designed the Dimensionator."**

Orvus thought for a moment. The Lombaxes' creation of the Dimensionator resulted in forming many spatial rifts on Fastoon, threatening the Universe with the possibility of another Catastrophe like the one the Great Clock had been built to fix. Orvus had to place the planet's temporal model just outside one of the gates of the Orvus Chamber in case he had to quickly prevent any such phenomena from tearing the planet apart, taking the Universe with it.

"True, their research into inter-dimensional travel resulted in the creation of that device, but it was only used to rid this Universe of the Cragmite race. Until we know for certain what these young men are looking for, we'll just have to give them the benefit of the doubt." Orvus again commanded the Zoni on Quantos to retrieve the Lombaxes' tools, than watched as his order was carried out. The Lombaxes did not even notice their lost belongings were with them until Kaden tripped over his pack in the dark.

"AHH!"

Kaden landed face down on the temple floor.

Alister ran up to help him, than saw what had caused his friend to fall. His yellow eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! How did they get back up here?"

Kaden picked himself up, rubbing his bruised face as he did, and saw his pack along with Alister's barely used flare at his feet. He gaped at them for a moment, than grinned with delight. "I don't believe it! My equipment! It's all here!" He opened his knapsack, rummaging through its contents until he found a handheld green colored notebook. He searched through its pages, thanks to the light Alister provided by relighting his flare, and found the page he was looking for. He looked over the page's contents for a few minutes

"Okay, according to these notes from Max Apogee, there is a record of Fongoid lore relating to the Zoni not far from the end of this corridor." He looked up at Alister and smiled in embarrassment. "Guess I shouldn't have made that turn, huh?"

Alister bent down to look at the handwriting on the page Kaden was reading. "You're relying on information from that Markazian?" he scoffed. "He claimed he found a Zoni temple on Lumos a year ago, but never even made a map of it. Why would he have written about this one then?"

Kaden shrugged. "Probably there was something on Lumos he didn't want anyone to find." He tapped the page with a gloved finger. "This temple, however, has nothing inside it besides information. And I intend to learn it." He closed the book shut and placed it back in his pack, replacing it with a small one-ended wrench. Kaden then placed the pack over his shoulder and ran down the hallway, followed by Alister, until he reached a dead end. The wall was bare except for a single cobalt blue pillar shaped to look like a Zoni, its arms lifted high like it was holding up the ceiling. Kaden started patting the pillar, examining it thoroughly.

Alister watched his friend, his white furred face quizzical. "What are you looking for? There's nothing here, Kaden. Apogee must have been making up yet another story to boost his fame."

Kaden kept looking until he noticed a hexagonal stone peg hidden on the back of the pillar's statue. "I don't know about that. I think there's more to this then meets the eye." He reached behind the statue and, using his wrench, turned the peg. As he hoped, it rotated easily. A rumble echoed from the walls as concealed mechanisms were activated once more after many years of disuse. A panel opened in the base of the pillar, revealing a shaft big enough for the Lombaxes to crawl through.

Kaden ran around to the front of the pillar and pumped his fist in the air in triumph. "Yes! I knew it!" He turned to Alister. "See? Now c'mon. Lets see what's on the other side."

"You seriously want to go in there? You don't even know if it's safe!" Alister shouted in disbelief, still not over his childhood friend's recent near-death-experience. "For all we know, it could be a unstable or rigged to set off a trap!"

"Fine, do you want to go in first to test it? Otherwise, I'll will."

"Alright, I'll go." Alister gruffly replied as he approached the opening to the secret passage.

Kaden waved his arms towards the pillar and sarcastically bowed. "Age before beauty."

Alister just rolled his eyes and crawled inside the shaft. Kaden waited a while, tapping his foot, until he heard Alister give a short yell. He jumped in shock and ran up to the pillar's base, calling down the shaft. "Alister! Are you okay? Say something!"

"Now who's worrying?" Alister's voice echoed down the passage. "I was just surprised. Come down here and see this! I warn you, if you start gloating about what's in here, I'm going to kick your rear end all the way back to Fastoon!"

Kadan dove into the passage with anticipation, crawling on his hands and knees as fast as he could towards the green light of Alister's flare at the very end. The shaft opened up to a large chamber, every inch of its walls covered in gilded symbols and pictographs, many of which depicted the Zoni. Kaden looked down at his feet, where a massive mosaic of a golden ringed structure was shown floating in a black background, surrounded by chips of crystals carved like shinning stars. Alister was at the end of the room, moving his flare left to right while he explored their find. He turned to Kaden and smiled. "Kaden, I think we found what you were looking for." He then frowned as he looked at the yellow Lombax. "Are you crying?"

Kaden quickly wiped his face. "Na, I just got some dust in my eyes is all." He pulled out Apogee's notebook from his pack and examined the walls, attempting to interpret the glyphs. After about an hour of study, he was staring in awe at what he had found. "This is INCREDIBLE!"

"What?" Alister asked curiously. He walked up to Kaden and looked at the glyphs with him.

"This proves my theory of why all those temporal rifts suddenly disappear soon after forming! Basically it says here that, in order to preserve the Universe from a terrible disaster, the leader of the Zoni constructed a machine that would control time itself! This machine would allow the flow of time to continue unhindered and preserve the order of the cosmos!" Kaden pointed at one line of glyphs at the bottom of the wall. "It says here that from this machine, the Zoni to this day watch over and protect time. All of them, their minds acting as one, through the power of the…huh. Is that right?"

"Okay, I repeat, what is it?" Alister questioned impatiently.

"Well, this could be a crude translation, but it calls the machine 'the Great Clock.'"

Alister was silent for a moment, then burst into hysterical laughter. "A CLOCK! You're telling me that this thing you have been studying for over four months, this incredibly sophisticated machine designed by the most advanced race in existence, is a CLOCK?"

Kaden glared at him. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Like I said, it's a crude translation." Kaden looked at the glyphs again. "My best guess is that, more specifically, it calls it 'the Great Timekeeper,' or 'Keeper of Time.'"

"Sure Kaden." Alister suddenly stopped laughing and grew lost in thought.

Kaden looked up at him, his face filled with concern over the sudden change that came over the taller Lombax. "Are you alright Alister?"

Alister groaned. "Kaden….if you show this to the Elders….what do you think they would say? You've told them that you have been working on a brand new project, one that would change the way we Lombaxes live, but this…" Alister waved his hand at the wall and its symbols. "This is beyond anything they would be able to stomach."

Kaden's ears drooped as Alister's words sunk in. "You may be right." He then brightened up and smiled. "Though, if this doesn't work out, I can always fall back on that Cryomine Glove I've been working on. That baby would sell for a lot of bolts at quite a few weapon manufacturers."

Alister shook his head and chuckled grimly. "Kaden, you're crazy. Smart, but crazy."

"You better believe it! Now, let me just finish copying this data and we can get out of here."

As Kaden went back to work on the symbols, Orvus was still watching through the eyes of the Zoni scout. The Computer, already aware of what had happened, was quick to state the obvious. **"The Lombaxes have discovered information concerning the Timekeeper. Now what should be our next course of action?"**

Orvus turned from the holo-screen. "Honestly, I am not quite sure. When I told the Fongoids about the Clock, I never revealed its exact location. I only said that it was, well close to, the exact center of the Universe. Though the Lombaxes may learn of its existence, could it really be so devastating if they do not know where we are precisely?" Orvus flew back and forth across his Chamber, pacing as he pondered this dilemma.

"**We could erase their memories." **The Computer suggested, trying to be helpful.

Orvus shook his helmeted head in disagreement. "No, that would run the risk of damaging their minds. Organics are very fragile mentally. Also, I quite like the head that one Lombax, Kaden, has on his shoulders. He's bright, but has spunk."

"**We could spirit them away to live the rest of their days in a pocket dimension."**

"Now that is quite harsh."

"**We could let them go and hope any they tell about the Timekeeper would think them mentally unstable. It is already clear they fear that exact scenario."**

"Now there is an idea," Orvus agreed. "Sadly, many races tend to treat what they cannot comprehend as the work of fable." Orvus went back to the computer console and watched as the two Lombaxes left the pyramid and returned to their ship. "That willful ignorance will have to be our solution."

**I hope you liked this chapter. Next time, Orvus will be meeting with a certain captain about a reusable black hole in, "Dark Matters." Enjoy and Review!**


	5. Dark Matters

**I don't own Ratchet and Clank, Insomniac does, though I am a fan. To respond to comments about my last chapter, I was thinking of how Alister acted before his exile and how Kaden acted when he was still around (from the way Alister talked about Kaden, it seemed they had a brotherly bond like Ratchet and Clank). I believed Alister, when he was younger, would have been different from ACIT because he was not suffering from guilt and exile. I also thought Kaden would have been like Ratchet because Alister described Ratchet in the game as "a wiseguy, just like his father." Hope that answers your questions for my choice in writing them like that. Please enjoy this new chapter. It takes place after the Lombaxes leave Fastoon and explores an important event that was key to the plot in Quest for Booty. Enjoy and review!**

"All right, it should be close to these exact coordinates." Orvus telepathically told the team of Zoni he had just sent outside the Clock. The small glowing black armored creatures responded by quickening their flight through deep space, seeking out the strange craft that had been detected only minutes ago by the Central Computer.

"**What if it is a Lombax vessel? The nebula's interference prevents our radar from identifying it, but it would be plausible they had finally discovered our location thanks to those two that came to Quantos."**

Orvus looked at the shining optical sensors that were staring at him in his Chamber, waiting for his response. He really loathed admitting it, but the Computer's theory was sound.

"If it IS a Lombax ship, though I find it highly unlikely since most of their kind fled this dimension when that rogue, Tachyon, attacked Fastoon, we will have to form a deal with them. Not like the kind with the Fongoids, of course, much too risky, but something that would convince them to 'zip it' about our operation."

"**I still think we should have sent those explorers to another Universe when we had the chance. Perhaps the dimension of the Death Weasels would have sufficed?"**

"Computer, will you please kindly stop thinking such things? I've already told you before, we are NOT going to banish every single person who learns of the Clock outside this facet of reality!"

"**They might have liked it."**

Orvus groaned in exasperation. "Oh, positively!" He said sarcastically. "I'm quite sure anyone would like to suddenly find themselves in an unknown location with no hope of ever returning home!" He pointed at the sensors. "You might as well put it out of your circuitry because their people already did it to themselves!"

"**Well, we can always do it to the occupants of this invading craft."**

Orvus frowned at the glowing mechanical eyes, which quickly zoomed back into their round compartments.

"**Sorry. I believe some Tetramites may have gotten into my hard drive."**

"Computer, I know you are protective of the Timekeeper, but I am the Caretaker here. I'm supposed to be the one who is worried, so just calm down."

"**Very well, sir. But if the Timekeeper is terminated, you and I, along with this Universe, will share the same fate. It is logical that I am concerned."**

Orvus relaxed slightly and smiled. "Yes, I am aware of the risks, but when one becomes as old as I, you learn that the Universe, no matter which one, always has a wonderful sense of humor." He waved his hand at the glass-domed roof to the starry sky above. "You never know what it will throw at you!"

The dispatched Zoni's simultaneous voices called out to Orvus from the Chamber's speakers, crackling with static from the nebula. _"Sire, we have found the ship!"_

Orvus was unprepared for having to deal with the situation so soon. He grabbed the microphone on the console he was at, fearing the worst. "Well? To what race is it affiliated with?" Orvus paused for a moment and glanced at the Central Computer's closed optical sensors. "If it is Lombax, please refrain from answering." He whispered.

"_No, Sire. Not Lombax. Pirate!"_

"PIRATE!" Orvus, in fright, almost pulled the microphone by its wires out of the station. Built by the Cragmite overlord Percival Tachyon to aid in his vendetta against the Lombaxes, the Space Pirates were wicked, bloodthirsty automatons that were feared throughout Polaris for invading helpless worlds and raiding them of their riches. What the brutes could do to the Great Clock if they found it was too hideous for Orvus to envision. "Do you detect any life-forms aboard?" The Caretaker asked nervously into the microphone.

There was a pause as the Zoni scanned the space vessel's contents psychically. "_Yes, Sire. Only two are inside." _

Now this piqued Orvus' curiosity. Two was much too small a number for a normal Space Pirate craft. Usually any ship of the size the Computer detected possessed a crew of at least ten, so it couldn't be a scouting party. "This requires further investigation. I am going to issue a mind link in approximately three seconds. Do you understand?"

"_Yes, Sire. We shall prepare."_

Orvus placed his purple hands on the holo-screen of the station and began counting down. "Three….Two….One…Mark!" Energy surged from the center of Orvus' helmeted cranium down his armored arms. It crackled through his fingertips into the holo-screen, working its way faster then light across the signal made between the Orvus Chamber and the group of Zoni in the Breegus Nebula. Orvus was now no longer connecting to the Zoni as he had seconds ago before.

He WAS the Zoni.

Looking through the eyes of all three of his scouts, Orvus had could clearly see the Pirate vessel. It was relatively small, but long and shaped like a curved blade. The orange metal shell of the ship was slightly rusted, probably from being docked on one of the watery worlds the robotic bandits enjoyed living on. Brightly lit windows ran down the sides of the ship, their illumination revealing a large and sinister skull shaped logo painted in white and black beneath them. On the brown roof of the ship, the same symbol was used again, surrounded by small laser cannons, thankfully off-line. The vessel had stopped in its journey and was just floating in the nebula's red cloud, so Orvus decided to guide the Zoni up to it. He had them manipulate their molecular structure so to phase through the protective plating and, once inside, became unseen so to spy on the occupants.

The inside of the ship was simply furnished with a single crude metal table covered in star maps and a black high backed chair with a seat of spotted fur pulled up to it. Old monitors and control stations lined the walls, sparks flying out of them. Glowing green skull shaped lanterns hung from the ceiling, giving the space an eerie atmosphere.

A metallic voice shouted out from behind a large titanium door, which Orvus was not surprised to find was also shaped like a skull. "BLAST YE, YA MANGY SCALLYWAG! HOW DARE YE TALK TO ME IN THAT MANNER?"

An obnoxious and high-pitched whistling voice answered back. "AWK! BLAME THE PARROT! ALWAYS BLAME THE PARROT! ANIMAL CRUELTY! AWK!"

The door blew open with a screech and a shockingly tall and thin Space Pirate stormed into the room. He wore an old fashioned vest and trousers, along with a high collared, brown tailcoat with coppery shoulder guards shaped like the heads of sharp teethed Leviathans. At his waist he wore a large broadsword and two plasma pistols, common tools of the swashbuckler. The Pirate's head was a narrow skull of white metal sporting a tri-corner dark red hat, under which glared piercing blue eyes. On the robot's shoulder, a red parrot with bulbous eyes and a tuft of plumage on its head was squawking into his auditory sensors.

"Bad Captain! Bad Captain! Did not stop for fuel! Throw him overboard! AWK!"

The Space Pirate turned his head and spat at the bird. "Shut your beak, ya feathered devil, or I'll pluck ye and roast ye like a chicken! I won't be wasting me bolts on those miserable Vullards just to get a wee bit o' gas!" He collapsed in the fur-cushioned chair and drummed his claws on the table, staring intently at the maps. "When last I checked, we were still in the Breegus Sector. We must have entered a nebula while I was eating me supper!" He slammed his fist into the table's surface, leaving a dent. "That is the last time I buy me an autopilot! Next time, I'll just get one of the lads to steer. They wouldn't mind anyway. They aren't even alive!" The robot guffawed at his words, than got back up to examine the broken equipment against the walls.

Orvus, after hearing the Space Pirate, got an idea of how to get rid of him. If he could just restart the ship's engines, then this intruder and his highly annoying pet would leave without going farther on to the Clock. Commanding the Zoni to make themselves visible, Orvus had them approach the Pirate slowly. His parrot, looked behind it, bored with the broken machinery its owner was looking at and spotted the glowing creatures. The animal's pupils grew wide and it screeched in alarm. "INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS! RIP THEM OPEN! JUICE THEIR EYES! AWK!" The Space Pirate turned around 3/60 with alarm and drew out his notched blade, expertly pointing it at the Zoni.

"Back off, whatever ye be, before I sent ya on a one way trip to the Afterlife! By me immortal soul, ya won't defeat the likes of Captain Angstrom Darkwater!"

"A soul?" Orvus asked through the Zoni. This was a perplexing development, to say the least. "Are you saying YOU have a soul? How is that possible for a non-organic?"

Captain Darkwater nodded curtly, still not lowering his weapon. "Aye, that I do. I dabble in the arcane arts and discovered it meself one moon. Twas a surprise, but turns out if ya be living, ye can have it, be ye organic or robot. Now what by Ardolis be YOU?"

Orvus thought for a moment_. "That artificial creatures are capable of possessing a SOUL! I must learn more about this. The idea is quite intriguing." _Orvus had the Zoni float back a few feet to give Darkwater some space, and to avoid having the suspicious Captain slash at the scouts. Trying to awe the robot, he had the Zoni shine even more brightly as he spoke through all three of them. "We are the Zoni, the Watchers of this Universe. It is our duty to guard time and make sure the natural order of the cosmos is kept."

The Space Pirate sneered at this response. "You'll have to do better then that me hearties. I've heard many a tale while sailing these solar winds, and that by far is the tallest! Though the light show was a good touch."

"_So, a skeptic." _Orvus thought mischievously. _"This will be fun." _ He commanded the Zoni to raise their little arms, temporal energy flowing through them as they released their power on the monitors behind Captain Darkwater. When the light faded away, the equipment was no longer broken and shooting sparks, but was humming with activity, once more operational. The Space Pirate's lower jaw practically unhinged in shock, taking in this incredible feat.

His parrot however was no so quiet.

"AWK! HAVE MERCY! SPARE THE PARROT! TAKE THE CAPTAIN! AWK!"

Darkwater shook his head, coming back to reality, and closed the bird's beak shut with his thumb and forefinger. "Shut yer mouth! These creatures be powerful beings, if they can bend time to their will. Ya wont be making things worse for me!" He uneasily turned his gaze back to the Zoni and sheathed his sword. He took off his tri-cornered hat and bowed to them. "Forgive me for me discourteous welcome. If I knew just who I was addressing, I would not have spoken so."

"That is quite alright Captain, though I am curious as to how your technology was disabled in the first place. I do not believe a lack of locomotion would have resulted in that."

Captain Darkwater chuckled nervously as he placed his hat back on his head. He waved a claw indifferently at the machinery. "Yes, well, it got like that during a raid on Kerchu City a few cycles back. I never wanted to spend the bolts on repairing it, since only me crew ever used them. This scrap heap works just fine if controlled from the helm." The Captain stopped talking for a moment and peered at the Zoni before continuing. "If ya don't mind me asking, why did ya say "I" instead of "we?" There are three of ye here."

"Oh, terribly sorry to confuse you." Orvus apologized. "'I' am the leader of the Zoni. Right now I am just conversing with you through these drones. We act as a hive mind, so it is quite simple to accomplish for us."

"By Heaven above," Darkwater replied in wonder. "That be mighty impressive. But if these three are here, where be you?"

Now this Orvus did not know how to answer He could not risk letting this ruffian know about the Timekeeper. If he did, the Captain could return one day with the entire Space Pirate fleet and try to take the station by force!

So, he improvised with a little white lie.

"Well, I am not exactly around here, per say. The Zoni are in fact from an alternate dimension that exists on a higher level of reality then most others. We exist as pure energy when we are home, so it is easy for us to peer across the Omniverse without straining ourselves in the process.

"So ye be in this other dimension while talking through these little creatures?"

"You…might say that. Anyway, it seems as if you require some assistance."

Captain Darkwater's nodded and pointed at the opposite end of the room to another door like the one he had entered through. "Aye. As I suspect ye know, me engines ran out of juice as I was passing through Breegus. I was looking for a place for some cheap chowder." He glanced curiously at the Zoni with his blue optical sensors. "Ya aren't suggesting you would fix that too?"

"Well, of course I am. We Zoni are the Guardians of this Universe. We would be against our purpose if we did not, as the kids say 'help out' the people that inhabit it."

The robot grinned, pleased with the turn of events. "That be mighty kind of ye Zoni to aid an old buccaneer such as meself." He then frowned. "Though, forgive me in saying, I can't offer ye much in return. I don't imagine such an advanced race such as yerselves even use bolts."

The parrot on his shoulder screeched. "AWK! Cheapskate! AWK!" It silenced when Darkwater swiftly closed his hand over its beak again.

"That will not be necessary Captain," Orvus assured the stingy corsair. "Though I do have some questions for you about what you mentioned earlier. About having a soul?"

The Pirate relaxed, though he did not take his hand off the bird's beak. "That? O, tis really quite simple. Ya see, while organic creatures can easily be born with souls, we robots, since we're built, have to earn them in other ways."

This was the first Orvus had heard of this. He knew he and the Zoni had souls, since they were beings of pure energy, but he never realized something like a robot gaining a soul was possible. "How exactly is this accomplished?"

Darkwater raised his free hand and counted down the ways with his claws. "Well, one way is to develop a soul over time by living among those who do have em. By watching them, and their emotions, acts of will, and uses of intellect, ya can form one yerself by copying their examples. Another way, which from what I learned requires a lot o' power, is for a soul, or at least part o' one, to be transferred into the robot!"

"A transfer?"

"Aye," Captain Darkwater nodded. "A transfer. A soul is pretty much energy, ya just need to know how to access it. I meself have been looking into that, in case me first mate ever gets any ideas of mutiny."

If the Zoni had mouths, Orvus would have had them frown at this. "That is most unpleasant. If this 'first mate' of yours is planning to…dispose of you, why do you not take action?"

"Because I got no cursed proof! And the grog drunk sack of Blargian guts already has support from most of me lads! If I accuse him, he could just use that as an excuse to do me in early!" Darkwater smirked cunningly. "But don't ya worry. I've learned enough secrets to make sure whatever he does to me won't be so permanent. If I have anything to say of it, he and that scrawny friend of his, Pete, won't get one bolt o' me loot! This I swear!"

"Well, that is…pleasant to hear. Now how about we examine that engine?" Orvus hurryingly led the Zoni through the door to the engine room, stopping before a series of fuel tanks. Focusing their bio-energy, the Zoni on their leader's command bended time and space around the containers, going back to a moment when they were full to bursting with the green translucent Gelatonium which was commonly used in most of Polaris. The oozing fuel bubbled as it refilled the tanks and brought the engines up and running once more. Satisfied by the sound of running turbines, Orvus returned the Zoni to Darkwater's quarters, where the Space Pirate was looking at the stations, checking the status of his craft on the monitors.

"By me circuits, you did it!" He looked over at the Zoni. "It's just like it was when I left Murdagraw!"

"AWK! Thank the Zoni! We're not going to die! AWK!" The parrot whistled, relieved they could get back home to Morrow Caverns before Darkwater decided to roast it.

Orvus, through the Zoni, nodded in acceptance of the thanks. "You're quite welcome. Now, I believe it would be best if you left this cloud and returned the way you originated from."

"A fine suggestion, my friend." Captain Darkwater bowed to the Zoni and walked back to the door to the helm. "Next time I'm sailing through this sector, I'll be sure to come to try to see ye!"

Orvus panicked. He had repaired the Pirate's ship, but the robot still was thinking of returning to the nebula! The Timekeeper was still threatened with being exposed! _"Perhaps I should take the Computer's advice?" _Orvus hesitantly raised the Zoni's hands towards Darkwater's retreating form._ "Just one small blast of bio-energy and the Captain will be in another Universe."_ He then stopped, a strange feeling coming over his mind. Images flew across Orvus' vision in a swirl of color, light, and shadow.

_A large device shaped like a telescope over a lens of volcanic glass. _

_A large, portly Space Pirate with a hook for a hand and a scar over one of his yellow eyes, driving Darkwater's own sword through the Captain's thin metal chest._

_A small, oddly familiar robot with large green eyes and a red blinking antennae surrounded by a group of Zoni._

_A Lombax, eerily similar to Kaden, fighting an undead creature that had Darkwater's body and the head of the Space Pirate who murdered the Captain._

The feeling left Orvus, who felt weary after the psychic event he just went through. "_What could this mean?" _He thought, confused. _"I have not experienced such visions of the future since the Fongoids." _He gazed at the Space Pirate, who had stopped to argue with his parrot about something. _"Of what importance could HE be of to this Universe? Whatever it is, I have no choice but this." _Orvus concentrated his power to reach into the Zoni Dimension, plucking from it two small objects which he believed, if what his visions implied were true, were the very things needed to solve this problem.

Darkwater stopped shouting at his bird when he noticed that that two of the Zoni were now each holding something. The one of the left held a long purple scroll, tied with golden thread. The one on the right held a shard of crystal larger then his parrot, within which was a silver star shaped device with a glowing orange core. The Zoni between the two holding the objects floated up to the Captain, Orvus' mind guiding it.

"I believe I have a better idea Captain Darkwater." Orvus told him. "Instead of wasting your time and fuel coming here again, I have two priceless gifts to give you."

Darkwater's face became filled with greed, though he quickly tried to hide it from the Zoni. "What would they be exactly?"

Orvus had the Zoni offer up the scroll to Darkwater. "Within this manuscript are the designs for a powerful machine called the Obsidian Eye. It is a telescope so awesome it's view is not limited by space and can allow you to make contact with anywhere in existence, even our home dimension!" Orvus then had the Zoni hold out the crystal to the Pirate. "This is known as a Fulcrum Star. Do not let its beautiful appearance fool you! It is actually a reusable black hole, contained and frozen within this stone. There are only three in this Universe, and you will need it for the Obsidian Eye to function." The Zoni placed the gifts in Darkwater's claws, which quickly held them in a tight grip. "With these two rare treasures, you will be able to speak with us whenever you wish, though I would suggest keeping the Fulcrum Star in a safe place while you build the Eye."

Captain Darkwater looked up from the gifts at the Zoni. "Never in me wildest dreams did I ever think such things were possible!" He bowed one more time to the Zoni, still gripping his new treasures. "I thank ye." The parrot was about to make a comment, when the robot glared at it, threatening the words to die in its throat.

"Safe journey to you Captain." Orvus teleported the Zoni back to the Great Clock, while he returned to his body in the Orvus Chamber. Opening his eyes, Orvus lifted his palms off the holo-screen and watched as Darkwater's ship turned and left the Breegus Nebula in a blast of fumes, the Timekeeper narrowly escaping being found.

"**So?" **The Central Computer impatiently asked, having been kept waiting while Orvus's mind had been aboard the Pirate vessel. **"How did you rid us of the intruders?"**

"Well, Computer, I gave them a Fulcrum Star and schematics for an Obsidian Eye."

The Computer activated its visual sensors and looked carefully at the Zoni leader. **"Why exactly did you give them such precious Zoni artifacts?"**

Orvus looked back at the station as the blade-shaped craft activated its warp drive and disappeared at the speed of sound. "I don't quite know…"

**Hope you liked this chapter! I'm going to be busy for a while with some stuff, including adding on to my new Sly Cooper fanfic. In case you don't know much about that game character, you probably should since Ratchet and Clank will be teaming up with him and other Playstation mascots in the soon to be released "Playstation Heroes." Please be patient in waiting for the next chapter, for next time Orvus will be hiring some help around the Clock, in "Keeping Time." Enjoy and review!**


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